Rhett

7 weeks 

Weekly review 

The beginning of last week seems so long ago. I put in some good miles the first 2 days, then did a solid cycle Wednesday, and finished up Thursday with some weighted vest trail work. I was feeling great heading off to ski for the rest of the weekend. Then tragedy struck on the first run of the trip when I got my knee twisted up while skiing on a little trail through the trees. It all happened so fast. I was just scooting along and the next thing I knew I was going down one way and my leg was turning the other way and I felt a pop with a sharp pain on the outside of my left knee. The first thing I thought was, "I just tore a knee ligament and I'm not going to be able to run. " Then I laid the for a few minutes trying to gather myself and asses the pain. I butt slid through the trees until I got to the main run and then put my skis back on and went for it. I got really light headed a few times over the next 20-30 minutes. I think my body was in a bit of shock. Eventually I was able to ski anything that was groomed but it was not my normal level of skiing. That night I could barely walk and I was scared I might need surgery. 
 

Saturday morning it felt a lot better although I still couldn't walk very well. We went skiing anyways. To my surprise, skiing didn't seem to bother it much so we got back to skiing my aggressively and by the end of the day I was even skiing some moguls. That night I was walking even a little bit better and I was starting to feel better about hopefully not needing surgery. Assessing it now that the initial pain had come down significantly, I'm thinking I either tore the meniscus in the knee or I sprained my LCL. I'm hoping for the latter because I read up on it and an LCL will usually heal itself and sometimes rapidly. 
 

Today I'm walking even better, but my knee just doesn't feel stable and when it doesn't stay lined up exactly right I get a shap shooting pain on the lower outside of the knee. I'm hoping with a good night's rest it will feel even better tomorrow. I'm guessing I'll be able to cycle without much problem, so I'll try that tomorrow and then if I'm really lucky, maybe some light running or hiking Tuesday. Send me and my knee positive vibes. I could use them. 

47 days

AM. I woke up in the night because I was thirsty and my knee hurt a little worse than it had been at the end of the day yesterday, so I decided I better not push it today.  When I got up in the morning it still hurt to walk so I rode my bike trainer.  To my delight I was able to cycle pain free.  I rode for 65 minutes. Now I know it will be ok for me to get out on my bike and ride.  So grateful I;ve been riding a lot so it will be a natural transition while I wait for my knee to heal.  I dug up an old knee brace and have been wearing it all day.  It really makes a huge difference. I'm walking almost normal.  Maybe with the knee brace on I'll be able to run.

46 days. 
 

I wore my knee brace all day and it really helped. During lunch I went up to the Hualapai's and walked. At first it hurt especially going downhill, but then the knee warmed up and felt pretty good. I walked 2+ miles. Baby steps. 

45 days

My knee still hurt to walk when I got up this morning, but I had planned to ride anyways.  I did a 28.5 mile ride.  It was such a beautiful morning today...64 degrees, no wind, and clear skies.  I really enjoyed the ride.  The ride seemed to warm up my knee as well, so I'm going without the brace at work today and seem to be moving around really well and without pain.

44 days

My knee didn't hurt to walk when I got out of bed this morning!!! I still get a very sharp pain when I step out of perfect allignment though.  At this point, I'm pretty confident I have a tear in my LCL which is good, because from what I've read, it will usually heal on its own.  I rode 33.5 miles on the bike today. It was another gorgeous day in Havasu.  I'm so glad that I have been cycling and that cycling doesn't cause any pain to my knee. I'm thinking about doing a weighted vest walk tomorrow morning to see how my knee responds.

43 days

I wanted to see how my knee would do walking up and down hills so I put on my weighted vest and went for a walk. Mostly my knee felt pretty good but when I would start either an uphill or a downhill, I would feel it, sometimes with a sharp pain. I did 4+ miles. I'm not too optimistic about running on it though. 
 

Then I spent the day on the lake with my family and my sister and her family. I did some knee boarding which surprisingly did not seem to hurt my knee at all. I really, really, really hope I'll be able to get back to some running next week. If not, I'll just keep cycling. I wonder if I can jump rope?? Maybe I'll give that a try. 

42 days

I rode with Craig this morning. He always pushes me harder than I would ride solo. We did 55.6 miles with about 2500 feet elevation and averaged 18.7 mph.
 

My brother in law John has convinced me to sign up for LoToJa with him, which is a 207 mile bike ride from Logan, UT to Jackson Hole, WY. There is a lottery, so I don't need to stress it until I find out if I get in.